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Fading Traditional Trades and Crafts Buku by Jesvin Yeo

Fading Traditional Trades and Crafts Buku by Jesvin Yeo is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2022 A' Design Award Emas in Desain Media Cetak lan Terbitan Competition Category.


EmasCetak· 2022

Fading Traditional Trades and Crafts Buku

by Jesvin Yeo

A' Design Award Emas Winner in Cetak Category

658,669

Verified Award Winner

Verify Award Status for #140455

Colors

The Design

About Fading Traditional Trades and Crafts Buku

Buku kasebut nggunakake embossing 3D kanggo nyathet lan nyorot rincian rumit karya-karya sing digawe kanthi tliti dening pengrajin tradisional Singapura, saka prau naga kertas lan perhiasan India nganti sepatu manik Peranakan. Kaca werna nglambangake munggah lan mudhune kerajinan tradisional, amarga industri wiwit periode perkembangane (kusam) nganti umur emas (kuning) lan alon-alon luntur (putih). Kapur pastel ditempelake kanggo para pamaca kanggo ngayomi kaca lan nemokake seni sing ilang saka warisan budaya Singapura sing ora nyata iki, amarga mung kita manungsa sing bisa njaga, ndhukung lan mbalekake.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award Emas

Fading Traditional Trades and Crafts Buku menang A' Design Award Emas, pangenalan sing prestisius banget sing diparingake marang desain kelas siji, nggumunake lan unggul. Pemenang Emas iku ciptaan sing inovatif banget, visioner lan sumunar nggumunake sing nggambarake kejeniusan, kawicaksanan lan kaprigelan para desainer. Fading Traditional Trades and Crafts Buku dikarepake dadi panemuan sing dipuji banget, pelopor tren lan monumental sing nyedhiyakake nilai sing durung tau ana. Desain sing menang A' Design Award Emas iki iku proyek sing nggumunake lan dihormati sing paring manfaat gedhe lan nyurung maju wates seni, sains, desain lan teknologi. Fading Traditional Trades and Crafts Buku nuwuhake perasaan kekarepan sing kuwat, nggugah semangat, nyengkuyung kreativitas lan narik kawigaten kita.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties
What makes this book unique is the use of the 3D embossing technique, not just embossing, to highlight the intricate details of the works meticulously crafted by traditional Singaporean artisans, from dragon boats to Peranakan beaded shoes. With the pastel chalk, the book encourages reader engagement by colouring pages to discover the lost art of our ancestors, as only we humans can help safeguard, support and bring attention to the significance of this intangible cultural heritage.
Dimensions & Packaging
Book Box: 145mm (width) x 305mm (height) x 52mm (thickness)
Book Box Sleeve: 540mm (width) x 220mm (height)
Book: 140mm (width) x 298mm (height) x 40mm (thickness)
Book Sleeve: 530mm (width) x 298mm (height)
Inside pages (accordion fold): 4350mm (width) x 290mm (height)
3 Hard Covers: Inside Cover, Front and Back Covers
Tags
Traditional Artisans, Traditional Crafts, Cultural Artifacts, Intangible Cultural Heritage
Production Technology
The making of this book explores how to combine traditional book forms with new technologies, make traditional book forms more interesting through unusual structures and visual stimuli, and push the boundaries of book design. The book is of significance to the design field because it not only records the traditional crafts for future designers to explore and contribute to the local craft landscape but also examines book design as a form of vanishing traditional craft.
Design Challenge
The project challenges were facing the covid-19 pandemic and the difficulty of making 3D embossed plates. Production of the book was delayed for 6 months due to the intricateness of the artefacts and further halted for 8 months due to the spread of the coronavirus. The team worked closely with the production houses to ensure things could move forward smoothly, and we are grateful that all challenges were managed well in the end.
Research
Given the scarcity of available resources, the approach included analysing oral history data collected by the National Archives of Singapore under the Vanishing Trades project in the 1980s and conducting fieldwork with current and retired artisans to understand the current situation and future substantiate the findings. The aim of the project is to document Singapore lost or vanished traditional crafts so that future generations can learn about them even after they disappear.
Inspiration
Working with traditional artisans, I learned that when our ancestors came to Singapore in the 19th century from Malaya, China and India, they brought their values and livelihoods with them. These livelihoods include various forms of traditional crafts that have largely enriched Singapore cultural heritage. Thus, it is essential to record these crafts, some of which have vanished or will vanish within the next 20 years, and trace their place to the roots of their meaningful beginnings.
Project Duration
The project started in May 2015 in Singapore and finished production in December 2021. The book is on sale from March 2022.
Operation Flow
The colour pages of the book symbolize the rise and fall of traditional crafts, as the industry begins its developmental period (dull colour) to its golden age (yellow colour) and gradually fades (white colour). The pastel chalk is attached for readers to shade the pages and discover the lost arts of this intangible cultural heritage of Singapore.
Patents
Copyrights belong to Jesvin Yeo, 2021
Team Members
Jesvin Yeo
Alvin Ng.
Image Credits
All images: Photographer Victor Gui, 2021 and 2022

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